The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1887-11-30

No

the assassin. IT life is wrecked. health
impaired. social position lost, and hopes
blasted. the wretch whose act causes the
irreparable loss, should be compelled to con-
tribute to the support of his victim from
the price OF his labor while imprisoned; and
thus, in almost all crimes there is some one
who suffers from the crime who should be
benefited by the labor of the criminal.
In these articles. of which this is the last,
we have endeavOred to treat the subject
from cOnvict's standpoint. We believe
the present criminal system had its origin
in an age when tear was the principal agent
for controlling the actions of men; and
while many changes have been made in the
criminal laws of the civilized world, and
methods OF punishment have been modified
and changed in some degree, we believe the
system now existing is behind the civilZa-
ton in which we live. AS we now look
with horror on the methods OF punishment
of the eighteenth century, succeeding gen
eratiOns will look with astOniShment and
condemnation Oh our methods of imprisOn-
ment. They will wonder why men should
have been imprisoned for life because they
made one mistake; that the scratch OF pen
imprisoned men for periods equivalent to
life; that innocent men were in prison be-
cause there was no one authorized and re-
quired by law to look after their cases and
restore them to liberty; that judges were
empowered TO imprison men Tor fixed peri
DDS of time. regardless of their physical or
mental condition, regardless of their actual
criminality, simply because twelve ignorant
jurymen decided that they were guilty be-
yond a reasonable doubt (and they knew no
more of what a reasonable doubt was than
they did of treating case of yellow fever):
that men were imprisoned because they had
violated a law. and were retained in prison
after they had satisfied all with whom they
came in contact. that they were not danger
Gus to society: that they were given no Op-
pOrtunity to repair the injury for which
they were imprisoned, that they were re-
Quired to associate with men of every de-
gree of criminality; that no one but the
chief executive of the state could release
from prison one convicted of a crime.
No one can see the injustice Of our GRIM
iDal laws like lie who suffers from their en-
forcement. Let he who doubts any of the
statements Ill these articles. investigate
them, and where statements are made as
facts they will bear the closest scrutiny
AS to opinions. we are not infallibie. We
believe in imprisonment for crime, but we
believe Imprisonment should have for it's
OBJECT an intelligent purpose. and when it
gose beyond that purpose, \ CRIME is
COMMITTED FOR WHICH THERE CAN BE
NO RESTITUTION. Intelligent men can no
longer be compelled to do right by sus-
pending them by slender thread over the
boiling caldrOn of eternal punishment;
neither can men be forced to lead useful
lives by unjust treatment, no matter what
amount of force is used. The ideas which
originated the present system of. punish
ment for crime. are long since exploded.
The Imprisonment of one does not prevent
others from doing the thing for which the
one is imprisOned neither does imprison-
ment scare man into leading just life.
Because one is guilty of wrong act is no
reason why he should suffer wrong in
fcted upon him by law. Two wrongs do
not make a right. THE END DOES NOT
JUSTIFY THE MEANS. V.
Nov. 26. 1887.